Transport costs?

One of the things that severely limits our choice of boats is the location. We typically only look for things along the Gulf Coast because we can bring it back by water at a reasonable amount.

However, if we were to transport something from say the Pacific Northwest, or the Northeast area, what could we expect costs to be by truck? And what is cheaper, transport by truck, or hire a captain and have the boat brought here via water?

Hard to give you an answer. If you are looking at a boat that can sit on a trailer and be no more than 14’ high then trucking is probably the cheapest. If you are taller than that then it comes down to were the boat is. Getting a large boat from PNW to the Gulf means either a long cruise or putting it on a ship in Vancouver B.C. and shipping it. If it is in the NE it’s probably cheaper to higher a delivery skipper and move her on her own bottom.

I once found a Hatteras 53, located in Monroe LA, that I wanted badly. I couldn’t find away of getting it to the PNW that didn’t cost more than the price of the boat.

If I had been retired I would have bought it, looped it, and then cruised Central America on my way home, but I wasn’t.

Much also depends on the price and value of the boat. If the boat is $500k, then $20k to ship it isn't a huge issue, but if it's a $50k boat and transport is $30k, it becomes cost prohibitive.

Toocoys: I did lots of research on shipping costs over the winter when I was trying to sell my Camano and coordinate shipping for folks across the country.

Shipping by truck is doable for some trawlers. But others will require significant modification to make it work (like removing a fixed mast or part of a flybridge). If you have to start cutting into things then your shipping cost can easily double if not triple (because you'll have to reinstall it on the other end). What size boat are you looking at? For example my Camano 31 didn't need any modification to be shipped. Just put her on a low boy trailer and face the bow backwards. Easy. But she was only 10.5 feet wide and had a low flybridge. Many sedan style cruisers will be easier to ship. Just start calling some trucking companies and getting quotes. It was $18k for my Camano from Boston to Seattle.


On the water: For this I would budget on $300-600 per day for the captain. The fuel is extra of course. You pay that too. If you're retired and have lots of free time then some ambitious new owners would just bring it on the water themselves. Same applies here, start calling some delivery captain's and getting quotes.

Lastly: If I were you I'd continue to look locally. IMO it's a huge PITA to ship or transport your new boat. Another added expense and time. I found my new boat 30 miles from my home port! I was lucky but still there are good finds locally. What are you looking for? Liveaboard right? Or did you decide against that? Keep the faith!

A problem I ran into when looking for a boat recently is that many of the boats online were not actually available. So contact the brokers right away when you find something to see if it is actually still for sale.

Yeah, from what I've learned doing research, transporting anything is going to be out of the question for me... unless perhaps I was given a pristine condition boat for free. LOL

Boats prices in the PNW are typically higher. Since you are on the East Coast, Florida has better selection and prices unless you are really into pilothouse trawlers. And even those you can find some well-priced ones in and around Miami.

gsholz said:

Boats prices in the PNW are typically higher. Since you are on the East Coast, Florida has better selection and prices unless you are really into pilothouse trawlers. And even those you can find some well-priced ones in and around Miami.

Click to expand...

Since who is on the east coast? The OP isn't. He is closer to it than he is to the PNW, however.

Just a wild thought....Have you tried googling boat transport trucking companies, boat transport ships, and delivery captains? Most won't mind getting a call from you and giving you a rough estimate. Maybe you will get some more accurate and on-target answers rather than random thoughts from other boat owners.
Oldersalt

Just my humble opinion.

It is very rare that you need to ship a boat over long distances. Typically, anything you're looking at, there are several choices of that model within a reasonable distance.

You'd really need to be looking at a one of a kind or a very rare model. Otherwise, there is little point to investing 10's of thousands on a boat to relocate it.

Consider how much updating you can do on a local boat with the same funds.

Shrew said:

Just my humble opinion.

It is very rare that you need to ship a boat over long distances. Typically, anything you're looking at, there are several choices of that model within a reasonable distance.

You'd really need to be looking at a one of a kind or a very rare model. Otherwise, there is little point to investing 10's of thousands on a boat to relocate it.

Consider how much updating you can do on a local boat with the same funds.

Click to expand...

Yes, to ship a large boat, starts at $1500 just to get it on the truck. That doesn't include the lift out of the water. Then you pay by the mile, often both directions unless they can find something to haul back. A friend had a 42' Grand Banks hauled from Colorado to California and it cost over $20,000.

We bought a 30 ft Sundowner trawler in Bellingham, Washington and had it shipped to Biloxi, Ms 2 years ago, we paid $5,000 and was good xtremely satisfied with the transport company, Winston Trucking out of Fort Worth, Tx. They gave us daily updates, took 10 days, arrived dirty needless to say from a 10 day road trip, but was in excellent condition with no damage. Give them a call, I don't have their number but you should be able to look them up. Joe Turner

The cost goes up exponentially based on size. 30' will be far cheaper than 42'. Larger boats need permits, possibly pilot cars, etc...